Harambee Stars defender Alphonce Omija has urged his teammates to stretch beyond their limits to make it to the podium in the ongoing eighth edition of the African Nations Championship (Chan).

The towering defender believes Harambee Stars have what it takes to stop other tournament heavyweights, especially in their Group A pool of death that has double champions Morocco and DR Congo.

Already Kenya has floored the latter, beating the Congolese through a Austine Odhiambo strike on Sunday.

“If we strive well, we will make it to the finals,” Omija told Standard Sports.

“We are fully prepared and confident to take on the Chan big guns, without fear. We are capable of silencing the big boys in our Group of Death,” the 24-year-old towering Gor Mahia defender said.

Ahead of their fixture in the continental championship on Thursday, Omija says their opponents, the Sable Antelopes of Angola must fall!

“We are ready for them, we are fully prepared. We have done everything well in training, that should grant us the desired results.

“We are ready to make the country proud again in this fixture, that’s why we are also calling upon the support of fans in this battle.

“As players, we have worked on our mental strength, because we know this encounter won’t be easy. We are also psyched up for the remaining matches.

“Generally, there is great morale in the camp. We believe nothing is hard to achieve. We believe all our opponents in the group stages are beatable,” he said.

“In this tournament, no side is hard to crack, even us we are worth our salt despite being debutants. We will tackle the opponents as they come along.”

Omija is pleased with the mood at Harambee Stars camp ahead of the Angola showdown terming it very electric. This has been brought about by Sunday’s victory against DR Congo at Kasarani.

“The mood is exciting, it’s thrilling, it’s a good feeling and a great moment for the country. As players, we are inspired and will continue to make Kenya proud in this championship. We hope to level up our careers in this tournament which is also such a great privilege for us since we are making our debut,” he said.

Omija says all sides battling for the coveted trophy in the tournament have chosen the best of the best from their respective nations, but experience and tact is what will separate the boys from men.

“But for we also have the home advantage that we must capitalise on. We must take advantage of the presence of our fans. We know the 12th man will be key for us against Angola and the remaining matches. We have all it takes to earn maximum points against the opponents to go past the group stages. Apparently, no team is bigger than the other, as per our judgement,” he said.

Omija believes Kenya featuring in Chan for the first time is such a huge step for the country.

“It’s the reason we want to make a statement in this tournament. We want to leave a mark in this championship. So, as players, we are really pushing hard, stretching beyond our limit to see that we make it to the podium and become part of the party at the end of the tournament,” he said.

For gelling purposes, Omija is proud that senior players have taken the initiative to mentor new players in the team, and this is helping them to achieve their objective in camp.

“This Harambee Stars squad has both youth and the experienced players, this is good for transition purposes in the national team,” he said.

Asked what makes him tick as a player, Omija said:  “Confidence, when you have it, you will be able to express and market yourself well. This is what gives me visibility. I’m also working hard on and off the pitch. I don’t rest on my laurels.”